The quick collapse of France during WW2, was a shock to many in the world, as the main
continental treat to Germany, was now gone.
Its vast colonial empire was largely administered from a German puppet government, Vichy France,
and their was a major worry from the Allied High Command, of antagonizing the puppet French
government enough, that they'd openly fight against the Allied forces.
Even still, many actions were taken to cripple the power that this puppet government had
around the world, and one of the most major examples of this, is a campaign that is seldomly
talked about, yet poised a major operation, and was the first major combined force operations
during WW2.
In today's video, we will be talking about the Allied invasion of Madagascar.
The French had annexed the Island of Madagascar in the late 19th century.
The power that controlled this island, would have massive influence not only over the region,
but could assert naval influence all along the Horn of Africa.
The fall of mainland France in mid 1940, shocked many in the world, who expected a repeat of
the slow, grinding attrition of the first World War.
With France occupied, a puppet state, Vichy France, was created.
This government over-saw the vast colonial empire that the nation wielded, yet, protection
of this was dodgy at best.
The Vichy state was largely unable to transport men, supplies or arnamanets outside of North
Africa, and the colonies outside of North Africa, didn't have the capability to work
with each other over such a vast distance.
Twice before, a foreign power used this weakness to their advantage, with the Japanese invading
the territory of Indo-china in 1941, and the Franco-Thai war in 1941 as well.
It was sort of a fear by both sides, that antagonizing the puppet state too much would
shift their pseudo-natural stance to the other, and bring a still rather strong colonial power
into their enemies fold.
So major action against the state only occurred later.
In East Asia, the Japanese had been steadily pushing the British further and further back.
With them now reaching the crown jewel of the British empire, India.
Following the British withdrawal from Burma, Japanese subs were moving freely throughout
the expanses of the Indian Ocean, and Japanese aircraft carriers conducted many raids in
the bay of Bengal and against towns in Sri Lanka, pushing the British fleet to base themselves
out of Kenya.
The Japanese hosted the longest ranging subs of the Axis powers, with them having an effective
range of over 10,000 miles.
It was feared that if the Japanese managed to get bases within Madagascar, then Allied
lines of communication and supply routes, could be hit all the way in the South Atlantic.
Which would have been a major threat to the Allied war effort.
The Axis in turn, saw this same advantage.
German admiral Kurt Fricke and Japanese admiral Naokuni Nomura, met in Berlin to discuss a
way for the two navies to work together in some capacity, Fricke stressed the need for
naval action in the Western Indian ocean and around the South African Cape.
By April the 8th of 1942, Japan agreed to send six submarines and two auxiliary cruisers
into the region, but beyond that, they didn't inform the Germans.
The allies had heard rumors of Japanese plans in the area, and feared that the Vichy government
would grant Japan the whole island of Madagascar, or at the very least, grant them docking rights
in the islands harbors.
Against this threat, Charles De Gulle, the leader of the Free French movement, pleaded
with the British government to act, at the time, British resources were stretched thin,
and the far-away island, was seen as a drain on valuable resources.
Not only that, but the Vichy forces were somewhat substantial, numbering 8,000 men, six light
tanks, four warships and a 35 air unit contingent.
The latter bunch, which could threaten landing operations.
Eventually, Churchhill did agree to the operation, but following De Gulls failure previously
at the Battle of Dakar in 1940, this operation would be British lead, and British operated,
dubbed, Operation Ironclad.
15,000 men, ten tanks and 50 ships would be amassed for this operation, the battle for
Madagascar, would be the first British amphibious landing, since the disastrous Dardanelles
campaign of the previous World War.
The invasion started on May the fifth of 1942, the plan called for four beach landings on
the north-west side of the island, then, to march twenty miles to the port of Diego-Suarez,
attacking the port defenses, from the rear.
It was thought that Diego-Suarez, was the key to the whole of Madagascar, and if that
port fell, then the remaining French forces on the island would be compelled to surrender.
On the Vichy side, stood Governor General Armand L on Annet who had roughly eight thousand
men under his command.
A third of his men, were stationed within Diego-Suarez itself, but the rest were heavily
scattered around the island.
While his army was in decent shape, the naval and air defenses were lacking.
As Annet only had eight coastal defense batteries, some very light naval ships, and only a handful
of fighters and bombers.
The initial British landings met virtually no resistance, and the coastal batteries were
taken with few casualties.
With the assistance of twelve light tanks that were landed, the British managed to advance
nearly 21 miles to the naval base at Antisarane.
A location which was heavily defended with trenches, redoubts, pillboxes, and flanked
on both sides by impenetrable swamps.
On the morning of the 6th, the British attempted a frontal assault with their small amount
of tanks but failed, as the terrain limited the maneuverability of the tanks and the French,
75MM artillery pieces, made short work of them.
An attempt to go through the swamps also failed, as the mens radio failed, and they were unable
to coordinate.
It wouldn't be until the destroyer HMS Anthony dashed straight past the harbor defenses of
Antisarane and landed fifty Royal Marines in the rear of the Vichy defenses that the
defenses started to crumble.
Shortly after, all defense did collapse, and the fort surrendered by nightfall.
On the morning of the 8th.
The British bombed a French airfield at Aura-chart.
Destroying six fighters, and damaging a handful more.
The remnants of the Vichy air contentient, fled south, and gave the British control of
the skies, in the northern end of the island.
While the British were successful in their attack on Diego-Suarez.
The invasion failed at it's main goal, as the French did not surrender following the
fall of the port.
More over, the British were now essentially in the peninsula, with few avenues of attack,
while the French still have the transport capabilities further inland, to send men,
supplies and needed materials all across the other towns and villages.
On May the 29th, The Japanese entered the fray.
A Japanese recognizance craft, launched from one of the three subs in the area, spotted
the British ship Remillis in the harbor.
They decided to attack, and one of the three subs managed to get into the harbor and launch
two torpedoes, one of them struck and oil tanker, and the second struck Remillies in
the port side, causing a massive hole in the haul, which resulted in extensive flooding.
Damage control teams managed to save the ship, and it was sent to Durbin South Africa for
repairs.
Still, French forces were heavy in the rest of the island, yet they had no ability to
push the British out after the fall of Antisarane, and it wouldn't be until November that hostilities
fully finished.
The island was crucial for the rest of the war.
As its deep water ports were vital to control the passageway to India and the Persian corridor,
an area that the Axis were no longer able to contest.
This was the first large scale operation of World War II by the allies which combined
sea, land, and air forces.
Casualties for the operation were largely minimal as well.
With the British losing some 600 men, compared to 800 for the French.
De Gulle himself, in private.
Found it almost amusing that the French in Madagascar, held out longer then the French
in the mainland two years previous.